Work under way to restore native plants in Aliso Creek

Janice Urrutia, 26, of Tustin uses machinery with a special blade attached that will cut through the arundo plant. The Laguna Foundation along with the county and the Orange County Conservation Corps are removing invasive arundo from Aliso Creek.KAREN TAPIA, FOR THE REGISTER

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LAGUNA BEACH – For decades, invasive arundo has thrived around Aliso Creek, crowding out native plants and wildlife as its bamboo-like stalks have taken over the land.

To a casual hiker, the thickets might look like they belong there. Those who know the park, however, see what's missing: the oaks, sycamores and alders that historically shaded native shrubs and other undergrowth, providing habitat for wildlife.

"Now you can't support as much life," said Max Borella, executive director of the Laguna Canyon Foundation.

The foundation, which oversees volunteers in Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, is working with a variety of local agencies to remove the giant reeds. The latest in a string of projects totaling about $2.5 million began this fall. In all, workers will clear invasive species from about 19 miles of the creek, then replant with varieties better suited to the environment.

"We think we can really get it all out of here once and for all," Borella said.

RESTORING THE CREEK

Arundo spreads easily through watercourses as chunks of the plant break off and wash downstream. Those pieces then sprout in whatever soil they find. To have a real impact, any habitat restoration of Aliso Creek would have to address the watercourse as a whole, Borella said.

"Everyone realized that unless we did the whole creek, it just wasn't going to work," he said.

The foundation and OC Parks worked with a variety of organizations including OC Watersheds, the Orange County Transportation Authority, the Orange County Conservation Corps and others to cobble together the necessary funding and permits.

"It was half good work and half luck," Borella said.

•Workers broke ground on restoration of about 70 acres in Aliso and Wood Canyons Park last month, a $900,000 project funded by Proposition 50. "The project scope is bigger than anything we've undertaken before," said Ed Bridges, a senior park ranger with OC Parks.

Related Links

Janice Urrutia, 26, of Tustin uses machinery with a special blade attached that will cut through the arundo plant. The Laguna Foundation along with the county and the Orange County Conservation Corps are removing invasive arundo from Aliso Creek. KAREN TAPIA, FOR THE REGISTER
Rudy Garcia, 19, of Anaheim helps to clear away the invasiveaArundo near Aliso Creek. The bamboo-like plant has taken over the area, forcing out native species and providing less habitat for wildlife. KAREN TAPIA, FOR THE REGISTER
Rudy Garcia, 19, of Anaheim helps to clear away the invasive arundo near Aliso Creek. KAREN TAPIA, FOR THE REGISTER
Marco Guzman helps to remove the invasive Arundo. The Laguna Foundation along with the county and the OC Conservation Corp. are removing invasive Arundo from Aliso Creek. PHOTO BY KAREN TAPIA, FOR THE REGISTER
A snowy egret rests on a rock in Aliso Creek. KAREN TAPIA, FOR THE REGISTER
Trevon Bell-Davis, left, and Eric Ruiz struggle to tie up arundo plant near Aliso Creek. KAREN TAPIA, FOR THE REGISTER
The project to remove invasive arundo spans more than 100 ares and will take several years. KAREN TAPIA, FOR THE REGISTER
Michael Posada carries arundo out of Aliso Creek. KAREN TAPIA, FOR THE REGISTER
Michael Posada uses a chainsaw to cut through the thick roots of an arundo plant. KAREN TAPIA, FOR THE REGISTER
Anthony Garcia helps to clear arundo from Aliso Creek. KAREN TAPIA, FOR THE REGISTER

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